In the season of GI tags, it is the turn of `Wazwan’ to make its presence felt

SRINAGAR:  If Hyderabadi Haleem can get Geographical Indication (GI) tag, can Kashmiri Wazwan be far behind?

A major campaign has been launched for securing a GI tag for Wazwan. Leading the chorus is celebrity chef Sanjay Raina. 

“We are going full throttle on this issue. We are starting a full-fledged campaign from March to mobilize public opinion for GI tag for Kashmiri cuisine,” Chef Raina told The Kashmir Monitor.

Wazwan is a multi-course mutton cuisine. It is served to guests who sit on the floor to relish the meal on `tramis’ (bigger copper plates). The cuisine ranges from seven to 25 mutton dishes with `ferni’ as dessert. Mostly four people eat from a `trami’ as the chef takes turns serving each dish.  Culinary experts count Kashmiri Wazwan among the ‘top three exotic foods’ of India.

“Wazwan is a complete process. Right from washing hands on Tash Naari to serving Gushtaba as the last dish, Wazwan encompasses the whole process. We want the entire process to be GI tagged. We have to work hard for this,” he said.

GI status is a sort of trademark or a patent given to the products which are indigenous to a community in a particular geographical region. The GI registration acts as a certificate that the product is made by traditional methods and possesses certain qualities specific to the area and the community.

 Chef Raina said they are raising the issue in a manner that in the first instance, individual dishes should be GI tagged before the entire Wazwan makes it to the coveted list. 

“Let us start from Rista and Gushtaba. Let us also seek the GI tag from pandit Roganjosh. These three dishes could be a perfect start for our campaign,” he said.

Wazwan is the biggest attraction for tourists visiting Kashmir. Anyone visiting Kashmir will savor Wazwan wither in the whole package or some of the dishes. Food is one of the biggest industries in the world. The global culinary tourism market was valued at $1,116.7 billion in 2019. It is expected to have a market value of $1,796.5 billion by 2027. Culinary or food tourism is a form of travel in which a tourist purely visits a place to explore its cuisines and food markets.

“We hope more people will join our campaign. We are planning to meet authorities to push for the GI tag. Hopefully, our struggle will bear fruit,” Chef Raina said.